Encore Manager Resources

ICMA endeavors to support members at all stages in their careers and lives. Therefore, ICMA has developed a new set of resources to support members who are thinking of transitioning from full-time local government careers into their next life phase or those members who have recently moved into encore endeavors. Many of the resources provided below were developed by the Cal-ICMA Senior Manager/Encore Manager Initiative and are now available to all ICMA members.

Tips for States to Start Encore Programs

WAYS TO GIVE BACK

Serve as a coach for emerging leaders on CoachConnect.
Teach.
Write.
Serve on local non-profit boards.
Serve as a local government advisor through ICMA's International Program; check out career and pro-bono opportunties.
Consider the non-profit sector and the breadth of opportunities in volunteering: New Guide to Non-Profit Careers and Volunteering.

READING MATERIAL

"HOW TO" PAPERS

The Cal-ICMA Committee on Senior Managers/Encore Managers has released five "how-to" papers. These papers focus on assisting local government managers who are retiring from full-time careers and wish to explore encore careers.

If you would like to suggest a resource to be shared with colleagues, please contact Robert C. Donnan, ICMA Program Manager.

WEBSITES

General Resources and Advice

Degrees For the Greater Good (advice on matching academic background to nonprofit and volunteer opportunities) (http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/volunteering-nonprofit-degrees/)
Encore Careers (resource for second careers) (www.encore.org)
Entrepreneur (advice for seasoned workers thinking about changing careers, or seeking encore careers) (http://www.entrepreneur.com/)
Life Reimagined (advice on discovering new opportunities for your next life phase) (https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/life-reimagined/)
Making a Difference through Volunteering and Nonprofit Careers (advice on volunteering and nonprofit work broken down to different area of activity) (http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/volunteer-and-nonprofit-careers/)
Next Avenue (advice for retirees, including those looking for work) (http://www.nextavenue.org/)
Second Act: How to Start an Encore Career After 50 (advice to those thinking about changing careers after the age of 50) (http://www.moneygeek.com/careers/encore-careers/)
RealizeRetirement (ICMA-RC) (advice on financial planning before and during retirement) (http://www.icmarc.org/)
RetiredBrains.com (advice for retirees, including those looking for work) (http://www.retiredbrains.com/Home/default.aspx)
Retirement Jobs (job resource; also some advice) (http://www.retirementjobs.com/)
Retirement Revised (devoted to all things retirement, including encore career advice) (http://retirementrevised.com/)
Wall Street Journal Report on Retirement (advice on several relevant topics, including finances) (http://online.wsj.com/public/page/journal-report-retirement.html)

Job-related

Common Good Careers.org (socially beneficial job listings) (http://commongoodcareers.org/)
Idealist.org (volunteer and paid socially beneficial job listings) (http://www.idealist.org/)

BOOKS

2016 ICMA Advisory Board On Graduate Education; Managers as Teachers: A Practitioner’s Guide To Teaching Public Administration. 3rd edition. ICMA, 2016.
Block, Peter; Flawless Consulting--A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used
Bridges, William; Transitions
Brooks, David; The Second Mountain: the Quest For a Moral Life
Crowley, Chris and Lodge, Henry S., MD; Younger Next Year
Freedman, Marc; Encore: Finding Work That Matters In the Second Half of Life
Gardner, John W.; Self-Renewal
Hudson, Frederic; The Adult Years
Leider, Richard J. and Shapiro, David A.; Repacking Your Bags
Leider, Richard J. and Shapiro, David A.; Claiming A Place At the Fire
Leider, Richard J. and Webber, Alan; Life Reimagined: Discovering Your Life Possibilities
Retirement Coaches Association; The Retirement Challenge: A Non-financial Guide From Top Retirement Experts
Zelinski, Ernie; How To Retire Happy, Wild and Free

ARTICLES AND GUIDES

Kevin O'Rourke, Mike Garvey, Rod Wood, and Frank Benest: "Encore, Encore! - Creating A Fulfilling Next Life Phase," Public Management, Jan.-Feb. 2012
Frank Benest, Mike Garvey, and Kevin O'Rourke: "Navigating the Retirement Journey—Insights and Tips from Partners," Public Management, May 2018
Frank Benest, Mike Garvey, and Kevin O'Rourke: "Attention Partners of Retiring Managers! Tips to Navigate the Transition Together," Cal-ICMA Whitepaper, Nov. 2017
Frank Benest: “Keeping the Passion Alive,” Public Management, Oct. 2006
Frank Benest: “Renewing the Profession Through Next Phase Managers,” Public Management, Aug. 2007
Arthur C. Brooks: "Your Professional Decline Is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think" (The Altlantic, July 2019)
Chris Farrell: “Older Job Seekers Find Ways to Avoid Age Bias” (The New York Times, Jan 15, 2015)
Peter Finch: “Countdown to Retirement: A Five-Year Plan” (The New York Times, July 6, 2018)
Lauren Girardin; "Supporting an Aging Government Workforce with Mentoring and Offboarding" (ICMA webpage, Aug. 22, 2018)
Ken Hampian: "The Good Exit," Public Management, Dec. 2010
Kerry Hannon: "Switching Gears to Retirement" (The New York Times, Sept. 12, 2019)
Don Maruska: "How to Create A Great Coaching Relationship"
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox: “Learn to Get Better at Transitions” (Harvard Business Review, July 5, 2018)
“Blogs About Encore Careers" (www.encore.org/category/blogs/featured-posts/)

Different Journeys

Read vignettes by individual managers about their encore careers.

ONE-TO-ONE PEER COACHING

To help you think about your potential “encore” experiences, ICMA has organized a one-to-one peer coaching service. If you are thinking of transitioning into your next life phase or have already left full-time local government management, you may wish to connect with a manager who has already began his/her encore adventure.

Role of the Peer Coach

The role of the peer coach is to support you in your encore journey. The peer coach will listen to your hopes and dreams as well as any fears and concerns you may have about your next life phase. By asking questions, the coach can help you clarify your aspirations and provide feedback about some options and potential encore activities that you may wish to consider given your dreams. In so doing, the coach may relate his/her journey and provide any personal lessons learned. The coach may suggest some opportunities, contacts, and ways to practice or “rehearse” encore experiences before you commit to fully pursuing them.

Coaching is a conversation. Coaching can be a one-time conversation, two or three discussions, or an ongoing relationship depending on the desires of both coachee and coach.

Selecting a Peer Coach

Below are the profiles of those encore managers who are and enthusiastic about supporting your next life phase journey. We suggest that you review the profiles and select one or two coaches to contact. Each peer coach has indicated areas in which he or she is engaged as an encore. If you interested in teaching or interim management, you may wish to contact one of the coaches who have had that experience.

Profiles of Peer Coaches

Click here for profiles of available peer coaches in the Encore Manager program.

A model for a peer coaching conversation

How to Create a Great Coaching Relationship, developed by Don Maruska, Director of the ICMA Coaching Program. The model provides a sequence of seven steps to guide your coaching conversation.

Serving as a Peer Coach

If you have already embarked on your encore journey and wish to serve as a peer coach, contact Robert C. Donnan, ICMA Program Manager.

Job Titles

Retired